Gege-Bubu

I want to replace my old pedals, but they are stuck.

The LBS have installed them last year, and I remember the tech applied some grease on them. I hope they knew what they are doing.

but now i cannot take them off. I have sprayed the pedals with auto spray (don't remember the name) but it did not help.

What can I do next?

Heat them up?
Air wrench?
Any idea?

FBinNY 

If you have a decent pedal wrench, here's a way to get super tight pedals loose.

Find a block of wood or something solid about 6-10" tall. Have a friend hold the bike next to it with the tip of the crank arm resting on it. (between 7 and 9 o'clock). If you can't fet the arm supported this way, put the pedal on it. Mount the pedal wrench pointing straight back as close to horizontal as possible and drive it with your foot using as much of your weight as you can without falling. If your pedal wrench makes it possible you might use a cheater bar for more leverage.

If that doesn't work, support the arm or pedal the same way, press down on the pedal wrench to get a pre-load, then hammer on the end of the wrench with a heavy hammer or mallet.

If the above methods fail, you can try holding the arm in a repair stand and turning the pedal, or remove the crank, carefully support it in a bench vise so it'll be rigid, and go at it with the pedal wrench and a cheater bar or hammer.

BTW- if your pedal has a hex socket in the back, lots of folks have had great success using an air impact wrench.

Lastly, just to be sure, you do know that pedals have right and left threads (left on left), and come off either side turning the top to the rear of the bike.

Gege-Bubu

Oh! what an experience! you have tried it all ))
yes it does have a hex socket.

Gege-Bubu

I will try it,
but when I install the new pedals, what grease do I use to prevent the situation?
Do I have to un-do the pedals once in a while and re-grease it?

FBinNY 

Actually most come out fairly easily once the pedal is braced. The problem is that they come off in the same direction that the crank turns freely, limiting the torque you can apply.

One thing to try before you go crazy is to position the pedal at 3 o'clock, and put the pedal wrench back across the crank, past the spindle and lean into it that way. That reduces the tendency of the crank to turn, but you might ask a friend to stand on the pedal for even more stability.

JanMM

Surprised to hear that pedals installed with lube a year or so ago are that difficult to get off.
The advantage of a pedal wrench is more leverage. Leverage is your friend. As are hammers if used with great care (as FB suggests).

FBinNY 

Any grease will do. It's main job is to form a barrier between the two dissimilar metals, and also to keep water from wicking in which speeds the chemical interaction of the two parts.

You might remove the pedals once a year (I do that to my seatpost) as a preventative, but I've seen pedals that were left in place for decades come out as if they were installed yesterday.

davidad

When you install the new pedals hold the wrench in the middle and don't apply too much force. They won't come off until you want them to. Then when removing them you can use the end of the wrench for leverage.

strock 

In my younger days, I once had a set of pedals that were so stuck that I took them to my LBS to remove them. They had every tool known to mankind, and they couldn't do it. I went home, sprayed some WD-40 at the appropriate location, waited until it had evaporated, and then put a propane torch to the crank arms to heat them up a bit. The pedals came right off.

531phile 

There was this one recent post where a Dood clasped his crankarm to his Park workstand and used that to get better leverage to free his pedals. That would work as well as putting it in a Vise Grip or getting someone else to hold the other crankarm in place while you torque that Pedal wrench down with all your might.

There is a technique for getting the best leverage if you are doing it yourself. Position yourself so you can hold the opposite crankarm in place(usually you have to swing your arms over the top tube of the frame) while you try to free the pedal lose. Use parts of your body for more leverage. I like to use my Thunder thighs for this. This technique is all about using opposing forces. Push the opposite crankarm in the direction necessary for the best leverage.

Also, try to get a long ass metal pipe and put it over the end of your wrench for more leverage.

One technique that I've used in the pass, but don't really use anymore is to get a hammer and bang on the wrench. All you need is one good shot and you'll have free pedals. You really need someone else for this. One to hold the wrench in place while making sure the crankarms don't move and the other to use the hammer. The key is to reduce any play on the wrench to maximize the force towards whatever direction you are hitting. I'll say a bolted down Vise Grip and a Hammer should work nicely. The longer the wrench and the thicker the wrench interface, the better.

Or just go to your local gym and find a meathead weigthlifter and ask him for help. Those muscles should be used for something other than good looks. You can buy him a protein shake infused with 'roids.

Problem Solved.

rogerstg

That's what I do, heat gun actually. They come right off, probably because aluminum expands much more than steel when heated.

Gege-Bubu

Nothing worked ((((
I have tried everything, but heating them up.

Took the bike to LBS and they have loosen them in half a minute )))))

My new pedals:


XK8V4540 by Genna B, on Flickr


Installed them with a lot (I really mean a LOT) of white lithium. )))))

rogerstg

That's got to be embarrassing.....